UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – July 31, 2012 – Led by record-breaking results for the network’s coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, NBC has won the primetime week of July 23-29 in all key ratings categories with an average 5.8 rating, 17 share in adults 18-49 and 19.0 million viewers overall, according to “live plus same day” viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research. These are NBC’s top averages since January 30-February 5, the week of the Super Bowl, and, excluding that week, since February 2010 during the Vancouver Olympics.
* Through the first three nights of the London Olympics, NBC was averaging 35.8 million viewers, the best through the first weekend for any Summer Olympics in history (since the 1960 Rome Olympics, the first televised Olympics), 1.4 million more than the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (34.4 million) and five million more viewers than 2008 Beijing Olympics (30.6 million).
* The average audiences for Friday’s Opening Ceremony (40.7 million) and Sunday’s competition coverage (36.0 million) were higher than any night from the Beijing, Athens or Sydney games. In household rating, the three-night average of a 19.2 rating, 33 share, is 12 percent higher than Beijing (17.1/31) and 36 percent higher than Athens (14.1/26).
* The first three nights of London Olympic coverage accounted for the week’s #1, 2 and 3 telecasts in all key ratings categories and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” tied for the top-rated non-Olympic show on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49. The Tuesday and Wednesday editions of “Talent” were the top two non-Olympic telecasts on those networks for the week, combining with the Olympic coverage to give NBC the top five primetime ratings of the week on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in total viewers.
* “America’s Got Talent” has been the #1 non-sports program on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in total viewers for the last nine weeks in a row and has been #1 or tied for #1 among non-sports programs on those networks for eight of the last nine weeks.
* Among NBC’s top-ranked programs for the week in adults 18-49, London Olympics coverage finished #1, 2 and 3, Tuesday’s “America’s Got Talent” tied for #4, Wednesday’s “Talent” tied for #9, Monday’s “American Ninja Warrior” finale tied for #13, Wednesday’s “Jimmy Fallon’s Primetime Music Special” tied for #18 and Monday’s “Fear Factor” encore tied for #26.
* NBC won the week by a 313 percent advantage over second place in total viewers (19.0 million vs. 4.6 million for CBS) and by a 314 percent margin in adults 18-49 (5.8 vs. 1.4 for Fox). Excluding weeks with a full seven nights of Olympics coverage, these are NBC’s biggest margins in a summer week in the history of Nielsen’s People Meter sample (which dates back to September 1987). Also excluding weeks with a full seven nights of Olympics coverage, NBC’s 19.0 million average last week in total viewers is the network’s highest outside the traditional September-to-May season since the week of July 15-21, 1996 during the Atlanta Summer Games.
* Primetime averages for the week of July 23-29 in adults 18-49 were: NBC (5.8/17), Fox (1.4/4), CBS (1.1/3), NBC (1.0/3) and CW (0.2/1). In overall total viewers, the weekly averages were: NBC (19.0 million), CBS (4.6 million), Fox (3.6 million), ABC (3.5 million) and CW (0.6 million).
* For the 2011-12 broadcast year to date, NBC is #3 among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adult 18-49 rating and is the only network among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox that’s up versus one year ago. NBC is also #2 in adults 18-34 for the broadcast year to date.
* Averages for the broadcast year through 45 weeks are: Fox (2.9/8), CBS (2.6/7), NBC (2.4/7), ABC (2.3/7) and CW (0.7/2). In overall total viewers, the broadcast-year averages are: CBS (10.5 million), Fox (8.0 million), ABC (7.8 million), NBC (7.3 million) and CW (1.5 million).
